Miraculous Morning
by PerfectlyPickledPorcupine
Summary: Both of the young heroes wake up one morning earlier than intended. Adrien wakes up from a recurring dream and needs to clear his head. Marinette finds inspiration. I had originally intended to write more for this one, but life got in the way.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own _Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Chat Noir,_ nor any of its affiliated characters and content.**

4:00

Adrien's dream had woken him up two hours before his alarm would sound. It was the same dream that had plagued his nights since his mother had disappeared, and while each iteration was never identical to the ones before, they always started and ended the same. The dream always started, his family was together in the living room, with his mother laughing and holding him in a warm embrace. His father sitting nearby, watching and smiling, with love in his eyes. Adrien felt loved, warm, and truly happy.

By the end of the dream though, Adrien always found himself alone, in the dark, crying out for someone, anyone, to come save him from the crushing darkness. It's always at this point he would wake up, with the sheets in disarray and a dark, uneasy feeling coiled in his gut.

This version of the dream had been particularly bad. In the end, even Ladybug had turned her back on him. She had looked at him with such disappointment as she told him how tired she was of his recklessness on their missions. _How many times had she had to save him from an Akuma's powers_? she had questioned. Disappointment turned to disgust as she complained that his crush on her was absolutely exhausting and useless since he'd never be good enough for her. Awake, he knew these were words she would never say to him, but they still stung. Especially since the dream Ladybug had walked away from Adrien hand in hand with Viperion, the two of them staring into each other's eyes like there was no one else in the world.

Adrien squeezed his eyes shut, willing both the dream away and sleep to come. Instead, the tense anxiety only continued to build within him as the dream played on repeat in theater of his mind. Tossing the sheets aside, Adrien got out of bed to grab a fresh bottle of water.

Recently, his father had "thoughtfully" installed a mini fridge full of a never-ending supply of water bottles in his room. When Adrien came home one day to find the new addition, he had realized he may have used the thirsty excuse a few too many times to get out of piano or mandarin practice, even if just for a few minutes. It's already been a few weeks, and he still hasn't thought of another good enough excuse to get a reprieve from his room and studies without running out as Chat Noir.

The cold water felt incredible as it rushed into his mouth and down his throat. He hadn't realized how parched he was until he tasted that first gulp. As good as it was, unfortunately, it did nothing to ease the empty pit in his stomach, not that he had expected it to.

He continued to gulp down the rest of the water while glancing about his room for something, anything, to take his mind off the dream. His eyes scanned over to his desk and the various subjects he could continue studying: not in the mood. His piano: too much noise for this early in the morning. Then his eyes landed on the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows and the soft, early morning lights of Paris beyond.

That. That is what he needed. He needed to be out in the open air to run, jump and careen across the rooftops of the city beyond these walls.

Adrien looked over to where Plagg was sleeping and snoring on a small pile of cheese. He shook his head, trying to physically dislodge the idea of running free in the cool morning air. He didn't want to disturb the Kwami for such selfish reasons.

Almost as if on cue, Plagg's snoring faltered and he yawned, "Hey kid! Your emotions are too loud. Can you try and keep it down? My cheese and I need our beauty sleep."

Sheepishly, Adrien sat on the edge of his bed, "Sorry, Plagg." He paused for couple moments unsure if he should explain. "I had the dream again."

Plagg was well aware of Adrien's recurring dream, since it had happened more than a few times since he had met the young Miraculous holder. Plagg sighed, "Okay, kid" and gobbled up a large hunk of camembert. "Looks like you've got some time to kill before your nanny comes in. Let's get out there and burn off some of that energy you've got piled up in your gut there."

The cat-like floating creature had flown up to Adrien and poked him in the stomach to punctuate the word 'gut'. Adrien smirked and poked Plagg back, "Thanks, Plagg" At that, he stood up and quietly called out, "Plagg, claws out!"

Adrien could hear the Kwami grumbling about owed cheese as the creature was swirled into the Miraculous ring on Adrien's right hand. A bright green light flashed over him from head to toe, transforming him into Paris's superhero, Chat Noir.

Stepping lightly on his toes, Chat Noir creeped over to the wall of windows and swung open the only one that hadn't been permanently sealed shut. An allowance that had only been made in case of a fire. He crouched onto the window sill for a moment, letting the cool breeze lightly brush over his face before rocketing himself out into the predawn air.

He barely landed on a nearby roof before bolting forward in a sprint towards the edge, only to jump again to the next rooftop. During each run across the roofs of Paris, he could feel his muscles tense up and contract, preparing for the leap. As soon as one of his feet would make contact with the edge of the roof and he launched across the sky, instantly releasing his muscles to let instinct guide his landing. He did this again and again, turning to the left or right occasionally. He wasn't keep track of where he is going, instead he merely reveled in the feel of his muscles working, the wind rushing through his hair and the feeling of absolute freedom roaring through his veins. A wide, wild grin started to, unconsciously, spread across his face.

Muscle memory having taken over, Chat Noir found himself nearing the Eiffel Tower. With a clear destination in sight, he pushed his already burning muscles to run faster, leap farther and within moments, the superhero found himself nearing the foot of the iconic monument. At the last moment, he decided not to use his baton, and instead began scaling the towering structure, hand over foot, like a cat climbing a tree.

When he reached the small, top level of the Eiffel Tower, Chat Noir used his enhanced upper body strength to launch himself in the air and tuck himself in a ball for a double, forward somersault before landing nimbly on his toes. His landing placed him with his back to the city, out of breath, eyes scrunched closed and arms fully extended to his sides. He partially cracked his eyes open hoping someone (maybe even his Lady) had been there to see his spectacular landing. Peeking to each side of himself, he saw that no one is there and internally shrugs. He was slightly disappointed but knew it wasn't likely given the hour and that Ladybug rarely went out without an Akuma attack or a scheduled patrol.

Chat Noir finally turned around and was stunned to see his city awash in soft shades of pink and greyish blue. He hadn't realized he had approached the Eiffel Tower from the east and had missed that the sunrise was starting behind him. Of course, he had seen plenty of sunsets as Adrien, as well as on patrol as Chat Noir, but he had rarely been able to watch a sunrise, and never from the top of the Eiffel Tower. He had gotten there just in time too, since the sun hadn't quite crested over the roofs of the city and the colors splashed across the sky joyously announced the sun's oncoming arrival.

Chat Noir walked to the edge of the walkway and sat down, letting his legs dangle over the edge as he leaned his shoulder against a support for the railing. He was entranced by the slow dance of color and light against the Paris sky. He took a deep breath and sighed out the last remaining bit of dream induced anxiety. The boy hero was finally and momentarily at peace.

Deep inside he knew this moment and feeling wouldn't last, that he would need to leave soon to return to his overbearing life as Adrien Agreste. For now, though, Chat Noir pushed that thought aside. His heartbeat finally calm and his wild grin soothed into a softer one, the young man basked in the simple, exquisite beauty of a sunrise turning the city he loved into a symphony of color. His mind briefly rolled over the idea that this is something he would love to share with his Lady one day. It was brief though as he realized, strangely enough, that he was grateful to have this moment to himself.

Chat Noir watched the sunrise until the sun had fully emerged above the rooftops, burning away the vibrant sky colors. Eventually, he stood up to make his way back home again. He knew he was going to be late and would have a hard time explaining his absence to Nathalie. While he felt a little bad at knowing he would make her worry, the thought couldn't overpower his current euphoric mood. This had turned into the best morning he'd had in a long time, and it left him ready to tackle anything that came his way.

Chat Noir grabbed his baton from his lower back and hopped onto the railing. He took a moment, once again, to breath a deep breath before leaping into the air towards home.

**Admittedly, this is only the 2nd fanfiction I've ever written and the first thing I've written in a very long time. I had fun writing it, and I hope there aren't too many mistakes. Grammar was never my strong suit. **

**I hope you enjoyed it and the ones to come. Reviews are very welcome!**


	2. Chapter 2

Marinette is not a morning person. Tikki, her Kwami, on the other hand, loves mornings and is sure to greet the sun every morning as it crests the eastern horizon. In the beginning Marinette loved watching Tikki perform her daily Sun Dance; a shake to the left, a swoop to the right, twirl up and plummet back down to repeat. Marinette found it beautiful and inspiring, but that feeling only lasted about two weeks, because Marinette is NOT a morning person. Tikki tried, really tried, encouraging Marinette to wake up early, greet the sun and stretch her muscles for the day, but Tikki quickly learned her new Ladybug was just simply not a morning person.

This morning though, Marinette found herself rising to the quiet buzz of Tikki's morning Sun Dance. Marinette tried discreetly pulling the comforter over her head to block out the sound and return to blissful sleep. She had been having a dream about a certain blonde classmate in which they were on a date to find Andre's ice cream stand. They hadn't been able to find his stand just yet and she really, really, REALLY, wanted to share that ice cream with Adrien. Unfortunately, the more she tried to concentrate on getting back to her dream, the more her brain woke up.

Sighing, Marinette pushed the comforter back down and sat up, her hair crumpled and sticking out in gravity defying directions. Marinette wiped her bleary eyes with the back of her fists, yawned and stretched her arms up to the ceiling. Peeking at the skylight above she could see that dawn was only just beginning with the slightest hint of light in the dark morning sky. An idea popped in her mind and she stumbled downstairs to grab a thick sweater and her drawing supplies. She couldn't remember the last time she was awake for a sunrise and maybe the rare experience could inspire a new design or two. Grabbing the light throw blanket from the end of her bed for additional warmth, Marinette unlocked the skylight and climbed up to her rooftop patio.

The cool morning air hit Marinette's exposed face, sending a chill down her spine. She quickly adjusted the lawn chair to face east and settled into it, snuggling further into her sweater and draping the blanket over her knees. She took a moment to take in the section of sky in front of her, now a deep violet with streaks of dusky rose. A small smile graced her lips as she pulled colored pencils from the box and began sketching. She tried capturing the colors in front of her, but never quite getting it right. It didn't help that every time she looked up again, the sky was filled with new shades of purples, pinks, and eventually some vibrantly contrasting oranges and peaches. Marinette paused when it occurred to her that it must have been a bit of miraculous luck that had her wake up in time to see the natural light show in front of her.

The wind suddenly picked up tossing tendrils of Marinette's untamed, bed-headed locks. The dark strands lazily waved out in front of her face and then to the side, back and forth, undulating in a soft dance on the breeze. The movement and contrasting color of her hair against the vibrant sunrise gave her an idea for a design, specifically a dress designed for a black-tie evening or a red-carpet event. She then imagined her design on the steps at the Met Gala, cameras flashing all around. Marinette shook her head and giggled; best not to get too ahead of herself. She hunched in closer to her sketch pad for the best angle and began drawing, with notes to the side and occasional bursts of color added in.

If Marinette hadn't been so engrossed in her Windswept Gown design, maybe she would have noticed the black figure off in the distance, hopping over the skyline, from building to building. She was lost in an artist's creative spike and Chat Noir was really only in view for a few seconds before disappearing behind another section of building rooftops.

Consequentially, she was also too engrossed to keep track of time. Tikki suddenly appeared next to her, "Marinette! Your mom has been calling you for the last couple minutes to get ready for school. You're going to be late!"

Marinette gasped at the realization of how much time had passed and to punctuate Tikki's warning, Marinette could hear her mom in her room calling up to her, "Marinette, hurry and get down here before you are late for school again."

She scrambled to gather her supplies and blanket and hopped through the skylight onto her bed, "Sorry, Mom! I'll be ready right away."

Sabine smiled and nodded to her daughter before ducking back down through the floor hatch. Marinette could hear her mother's words floating up through the opening, "Ok, honey. I'll have some toast and fruit ready for you. You'll need to leave right away." And then something in Mandarin that Marinette couldn't quite make out; something about daughters and breakfast and time. Marinette decided to ignore her mother's quiet complaints while she combed her hair and put on a fresh outfit for the day. She chose a combination that reminded her of the sunrise colors this morning, deep purple pants with a peach blouse tucked in the front, and flats matching her shirt. She looked herself over in the mirror one last time while putting her hair up in a messy bun, letting some tendrils hang loose to frame her face, and smiled.

_Yep, today is going to be a good day. _She thought to herself and ran out the door.


End file.
